Richard Hatch isn’t the only contestant from this season of NBC‘s Celebrity Apprentice with tax trouble. This week, it was reported that Marlee Matlin owes the IRS $50,000 in back taxes from 2009, but the actress says that she’s not ashamed of her financial woes, and is taking steps to work things out.

“I’m paying it back. I’m not shying away from it and I’m certainly not ashamed of it,” the Oscar winning actress tells People. “It doesn’t mean I’m a bad person. It’s reality. It’s the reality that a lot of people in America are facing.”

And like most Americans, the Celebrity Apprentice star was by no means living in the lap of luxury when struck by the country’s economic downturn.

“Living modestly in a suburban neighborhood while trying to support four children through private school is not extravagant or living large,” says Matlin, adding, “My husband is a Los Angeles area police officer and between the two of us we have always made ends meet in the past — and we will in this circumstance as well.”

In an effort to cut down on their expenses, Marlee Matlin and her husband have decided to start by selling their home and moving their kids from their pricey private schools to the public school system.

“At the end of the day, it’s about the best interests of the children,” says Marlee. “Transitioning out of a private school environment will certainly relieve some of the financial pressures but hopefully this will not compromise the kids.”

While she works out a repayment schedule with the IRS, Matlin assures fans, “I’m not broke. Like everybody else, I owe money,” adding that despite the tax trouble, she still considers herself lucky to have a “healthy and happy” family.

Perhaps Richard Hatch should have gotten some advice from his Celebrity Apprentice co-star on how to handle the IRS…